Site of Confederate earthworks in Corinth, Mississippi

CORINTH CIVL WAR DRIVING TOUR STOP 22

The Confederate Siege Lines site at the Corinth Unit of Shiloh National Military Park is located off of North Polk Street just south of the intersection with North Madison Street. A dirt road leads to a parking area for a hiking / biking trail. A National Park Service sign on Polk Street marks the turn (photo above).

The trail leads to remnants of what is known as the Beauregard Line: trenches (aka earthworks) dug by Confederate soldiers after they retreated to Corinth following the Battle of Shiloh. When the Confederate Army abandoned Corinth on May 30, 1862, the Union Army occupied the town and used these same defensive trenches when the Confederates attacked that fall on October 3rd and 4th (the Battle of Corinth).

Technically, there are two trails at this stop: the Civil War Trail and the Nature Trail. However, both trails can be hiked together to form a loop. The only problem is that there is absolutely no difference in the terrain between the two, so there is no way to know where one trail starts and the other ends. While this sounds like a “who cares” type of complaint, there is a reason I mention it. The turnoff for the earthworks is easy to miss if you don’t know what you are looking for. Per the map, it’s either at the start or end of the Nature Trail, depending on which way you travel around the loop. I went around in the clockwise direction, so if there was a distinction between the two trails, I would have known to be on the lookout for the turn just before I came to the Nature Trail. Since there isn’t any difference, and there is no sign along the main trail marking the turn, the next thing I knew, I was back at the start of the loop wondering what went wrong. So here’s what to look for.

Confederate earthworks trail map

First off, the trails—Civil War or Nature—are nothing more than old dirt roads, and while a little hilly, they are fairly easy to hike or bike (I rode my mountain bike). The trail forks not far from the start, but this is not the turnoff for the Nature Trail (it’s not even on the map). The turn for the Nature Trail comes at .6 mile. The most sensible thing to do is to keep straight and travel around the loop in the clockwise direction as I did, especially if you are looking for the fastest way to the Confederate earthworks.

Typical terrain of the main trail at the Confederate Siege Lines in Corinth, Mississippi

The turnoff for the earthworks comes at the 1-mile point on the hike. As mentioned, there is no sign along the main trail marking the turn, so be on the lookout for a trail with distinct tire tracks on a white, gravel surface that climbs a slight hill. At the top is a bench and a bike rack.

Turnoff for the trail that leads to the Confederate earthworks in Corinth, Mississippi

The earthworks trail is a traditional hiking trail. The bike rack at the start led me to believe that either bikes are not allowed, or the trail is too narrow and rough for a bike. The few people I saw at the Confederate Siege Lines site were walking or jogging around the main loop, so hardly anyone is hiking to the earthworks, and thus the chances of running into someone is slim to none. Furthermore, there are no park Rangers here to enforce any rules (if there are rules at all), so I decided to continue on my bike. The trail is narrow, but I was able to make it without a problem. If you do run into people coming the other way, just stop and let them pass.

Typical terrain of the trail to the Confederate earthworks in Corinth, Mississippi

Per the trail map sign, there are two sets of trenches. To get to one, just keep straight on the hiking trail for .5 mile until it ends at a wooden observation platform. There is an information panel that has a photo of what Civil War-era earthworks typically looked like. The photo was taken in Atlanta, not Corinth, but you’ll get the idea. You’ll also find that when you look around that you won’t see anything like what is in the photo.

Observation deck at the end of the Confederate earthworks hiking trail in Corinth, Mississippi

Typical Civil War-era earthworks

The original earthworks were up to ten feet tall and often reinforced with logs on both sides. Looking out into the woods from the platform today, you’ll be hard pressed to see anything other than small humps and gullies. Well, those are the trenches, or what’s left of them. Erosion over the 150+ years since the Civil War has whittled them down to nearly nothing, plus they are now covered in vegetation and have tall trees growing on them. In the two dimensional photo below, it’s hard to see the remnants of the trenches, but in real life they are a little more distinct…if you know what to look for.

Remnants of Confederate earthworks at the Corinth unit of Shiloh National Military Park

The second set of trenches is at the end of a side trail, so you can stop here first (take a left when the trail forks) or catch it on the way back as I did (right when the trail forks). It is a very short trail that also ends at an observation deck with an information panel featuring a photo of what Civil War earthworks typically looked like. As with the other photo, it was not taken at Corinth.

Historical photo of typical Civil War-era earthworks

One thing you will immediately notice is that these trenches are much larger. They are definitely the most well-preserved of any earthworks that you will see on the Corinth Civil War Driving Tour. Still, if you didn’t know what you were looking at, you would just assume these were natural hills.

Well-preserved Confederate earthworks at the Corinth Unit of Shiloh National Military Park

Well-preserved Confederate earthworks at the Corinth Unit of Shiloh National Military Park

When done, head back to the main trail. You can continue around the loop (3.3 miles) or return the same way you came (3 miles, round trip). I never want to see the same thing twice, so I finished the trip along the Nature Trail, which as I pointed out is no different than the non-Nature Trail. On foot, plan to spend a couple hours hiking the trails and exploring the earthworks. On bike, it took me a little less than an hour.

The Confederate Siege Lines is the last stop on the Corinth Civil War Driving Tour.

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